The Associated Press’s new “TwitBook” of employee guidelines for Social Media has been posted. It includes rules on what personnel can opine on and what they cannot on their personal Facebook and Twitter pages. Sports and Entertainment Reporters seem to have more leeway for expressing themselves on subjects, but cannot trash-talk according to the document. Here are the AP Rules of Social Engagement: (http://www.ap.org/pages/about/pressreleases/documents/socialmediaguidelinesforapstaff2011.pdf)

Chicago’s largest daily newspaper, the Chicago Tribune will cut about 20 employees, mainly in its newsroom. Also, some executives will also be relieved of their duties at the Tribune Company. On the opposite side of the pendulum, Publisher of Chicago Tribune Media Group Tony Hunter has been promoted to Tribune Publishing CEO. His duties will include overseeing six more newspapers and the print and digital operations of the Sun Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, FL.; Orlando Sentinel; Baltimore Sun; Hartford (Conn.) Courant; the Morning Call of Allentown, PA., and Daily Press of Newport News, Va.

The Los Angeles Times has won the prestigious Associated Press Managing Editors Public Service Award. This is the second major award for the papers investigative report on the small city of Bell, California’s scandal where city employees were paying themselves salaries as high as $800,000 a year. The entire Bell scandal has its own section here: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/bell/

What’s in a name? A rose by any other name… The financial publication U.S. Banker has changed its name to American Banker Magazine (http://www.americanbanker.com). This may cause a little confusion at first as its sister publication is already named American Banker. The former is a monthly magazine while the latter is a daily newspaper. Both are owned by SourceMedia. The name change will not affect current subscribers.

The San Diego Union-Tribune has hired an investment banking firm to explore various future alternatives for the paper. Staffers at the paper are speculating major layoffs or maybe even the possibility of the paper being sold.

New York’s WRXP-FM (101.9) is changing formats but so far it’s a secret as to what that format will be. The rumor is News/Talk. What’s not a secret is the new call letters: WEMP-FM. The original Rock format has been temporarily changed to Adult Contemporary. The changes came about when the station was sold by Emmis Communications to Merlin Media. DJs Leslie Fram, Matt Pinfield and Steve Craig were all let go as was Operations Manager Brian D’Aurelio. Host Paul Cavalconte has remained while Traffic Reporter Jeff McKay and Producer Jennifer Keeney Sendrow have been hired.

New York Post fired top Police Reporter John Doyle after news was leaked to Adweek that the paper would be increasing its newsstand price. After Adweek published the exclusive story that the newspaper would be increasing its price from 50 cents to 75 cents, New York Post went on an investigation to find out who was leaking inside information.

United Sports Publications Ltd. (USP) has launched the inaugural issue of a new tennis magazine called New York Tennis Magazine (http://newyorktennismagazine.com). New York Tennis Magazine is the official publication of the United States Tennis Association/Eastern-Metro Region. The magazine can be picked up in locations such as tennis facilities, camps, country clubs and parks throughout the New York City boroughs.

The Dallas Morning News has pulled the plug on it’s free, weekly entertainment tabloid Quick. Publisher Jim Moroney said the publication had been a “break-even business” for years now. Seven full-time and two part-time employees will lose their jobs.

Veteran Chicago broadcaster Steve Dahl is trading the restraints of traditional broadcasting for a new independent podcast. Check him out at http://www.dahl.com/

Legendary Milwaukee Anchor John McCullough, who anchored for the WTMJ-TV NBC-affiliate for over 20 years, has passed away.

Fox affiliate WFFT-TV in Fort Wayne, Indiana is now an independent station. The station will offer more local news content, new feature entertainment, prime-time programming and blockbuster movies. The station will also expand its weekday 10:00 p.m. newscast to an hour.

Fox affiliate WXIX-TV in Cincinnati, OH is expanding its morning news coverage to begin at 4:00 a.m., the earliest live broadcast in the Cincinnati area. The station will produce a half-hour weekday show devoted to weather, “Fox 19 First Weather at 4 a.m.” Meteorologists Frank Marzullo (fmarzullo@fox19.com) and Katy Morgan (kmorgan@fox19.com) will host the morning show. Anchor Rob Williams (rwilliams@fox19.com) will contribute with headlines.

As of June 30th WNJN-TV went off the air. On July 1st programming began for NJTV which is comprised of WNJN, WNJS, WNJB, and WNJT. NJTV is run by New York’s WNET-TV.

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